


At Night

by Caliginous_Confused



Series: Tales of The Meteor [1]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Abusive Bro, Flashbacks of Dave back in Houston with Bro, Insomnia, PTSD, They both need sleep and a hug, karkat's fucked up too because Alternia, there's no romance really but its more for them to be together and help one another, tw blood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-02
Updated: 2016-08-02
Packaged: 2018-07-28 20:49:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7656154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caliginous_Confused/pseuds/Caliginous_Confused
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bad things always happened to Dave at night. He was down one sense, and his energy was low because of the need to sleep. But things should be different, he's on the meteor. He still can't sleep because old habits die hard. It takes a mistake for him to finally realize he needs help, and unfortunately the only one there to help was the troll he just attacked. </p><p>Aka Dave can't sleep so he starts to wander the halls and runs into someone and panics. Mistakes are made.</p>
            </blockquote>





	At Night

At night. It always happened at night. Well, more that it happened when your body was telling you it was “night” given the fact you and everyone else were all on a meter hurdling toward space. There was no sun to speak of and so no definitive way to tell when it was “day”time and when it was “night”time. It was all just time, and you should know better than anyone. Day, night, it didn’t matter as long as you got some rest. You’re exhausted, barely able to keep your eyes opened. You should be taking off your cape, kicking off the shoes and laying down on that comfy looking pillow on your bed. Only, you weren’t. you never did, never have really.

Even in your old apartment in Texas nighttime was just as dangerous, or even more dangerous than when the sun was up. At night _he_ had the upper hand. You couldn’t see, yet he somehow always did. He wasn’t afraid to use this upper hand. There were multiple scars because you decided to let your guard down at night. When he didn’t use this advantage and decided to give you a night’s peace, peace was the last thing you got. Nightmares plagued your mind then. Honestly, at times you wondered which was worse, and eventually you just stopped sleeping.

Now, you were a fucked up kid. You couldn’t remember the last time you had a good night’s rest, and since getting on the meteor and finally having time to relax, that’s the last thing you have done. At night your heart started racing the second the normal noises of other people stopped, when dead silence rang in your ears. Your muscles tense as your reach for your sword that is never too far from your side. Honestly, you were just sitting. Waiting. For someone to come to kill you.

No one ever did.

You stared at the door so intensely looking at anything else left the image of the grey facing in your eyelids, and your thoughts were in full survival mode. Mentally you were rehearsing. Grip firm, not tight but firm. Left foot goes out slightly out at a 35 degree angle and no more or he’ll trip you and you’ll be dead. You refrain from moving, afraid to give him your location. Afraid that moving will tire you out more and give that someone will take that and turn it into a disadvantage.  

No one ever did.

Once you were confident you had some time alone, the first aid kit was taken out. Over stocked, mostly of stiches and alcohol to dull the pain and clean wounds. Everything had its place and you practiced getting things out and doing all but the stitching with a blindfold on, simulating how it would be if blood was in your eye, or if he finally got you in the eye and you could no longer see.

No one ever came.

Your name is Dave Strider. You were spending every night the same as you did every other night; sitting there, waiting. Your heart was pounding in your chest so hard it almost hurts. You’re so wound up that your leg was bouncing in anticipation. Your eyes are almost unblinking, only allowing the brief closure of your eyes once they start to burn from being held open for so long. Still, like the night before, and every other night, nothing happened. The silence of the meteor is almost deafening, and nothing happened. You had stayed up all night with no incident and when you started hearing people walk through the halls just outside your room, only then did you relax. You let out the breath you were holding for hours, finally able to see more than just that single door in front of you. You were able to let go of the white knuckled grip you had on your sword. You were able to stand slightly hunched over, relaxed and straighten your clothes, before you walk out like nothing was wrong.

The shades thankfully hid the dark circles under your eyes and look of complete exhaustion for the most part. Everyone else was thankfully awakening from slumber making their sluggish behavior and tired voices matching your own. No one was the wiser. Once you were able to get some coffee into your system you were good as new for a few hours. Everyone thought you were simply slow to rise and a bullshit story on how Bro got you addicted to the shit and mostly everyone was satisfied. The truth of course was that the black liquid was way to bitter for you, but it was better than almost falling asleep and being attacked by Bro.

Bro…

Right.

Bro was dead. He has been dead. You watched it, saw his corpse and tried to break his shitty sword by kicking off of it. There was no way that he could come into your room in the middle of the night armed with a sword aiming to kill you. Kill? No, not kill. You meant strife. Bro would never kill you. He loved you. At least, that is what you were used to telling yourself. It didn’t take long, a full day of public school, for you to figure out that no one else ran to the roof scared shitless of their guardian who was armed with a sword.

Bro loved…no…

Did… did Bro ever really love you?

Did… he just live to watch you squirm in fear toward him? Did he just keep you around to have something to swing at?

No.

No of course not. He loved you, he encouraged your hobbies that weren’t trying to get away from his sword. There was Cal, he was cool, and creepy as fuck…but cool.

He loved you…

You spend your day mixing music to keep your nerves calm, and later spending time with the Mayor in can town. The Mayor was always a good way to calm your nerves, he was organized and grounded, all he wanted to do was make the lives of the citizens better. A perfect distraction. You sit with him for hours drawing roads and building various buildings, watching his gestures as he requested some new buildings be made. You got supplies for him, building an addition to the library so that they can document every last achievement of their lives. You build an apartment building and frown at it. You take it down and instead of making it up, you decide an apartment complex would be better for the citizens. They are afraid of heights anyways.

Distractions only last for so long though before they fade back into the hell that was your mind.

\----

He moves, too fast. You stand with a sword in front of your body, wind blowing through your hair as you look toward your left shoulder, thinking you heard a shuffle come from that direction. Nothing. You jump as a flash shone over the plastic lenses of your shades, narrowly missing the attack. You slide against the concrete roof, using that momentum to turn and bring the sword up.

_Clank!_

Your sword catches his just right, your feet planted in a way that gives you ground. You try to push against his sword to give you space without giving ground.

He moves.

You fall forward and scramble to retain your balance and turn around, knowing he was more than likely to hit you from behind.

You bring your sword up to your neck, using the flat side against your hand, catching his as you fall. Your back hits the ground as you push against him as hard as you can. Both your hands start shaking.

He pressed harder, using his knee to keep you on the ground and the fact he was on top to press harder, the sharp edge getting closer to your neck. Cold, the steel is cold so close to you flesh.

You can’t win.

”Bro! Bro stop!” You yell desperately.

“An enemy ain’t gonna stop kiddo, you gotta fight.”

“I can’t!” Tears leak out from the corner of your eyes and he finally lets you up.

“Tch, weak,” he muttered under his breath as you slowly sit up. He disappears. You’re left shaking, crying from being so close to brushing with death again. You stand up and look over the city lines of Houston.

And then, you’re falling. A dull pain is felt in your back.

He kicked you off….

\----

You sit up sharply, panting. Your shirt is sticking to your chest and your hair against your forehead. A dream, it was only a dream. Bro would never kick you off the roof. Right?

You listen, there’s no answer. No movement either. You look around and at first forget you are on a meteor hurdling through space, and then suddenly the room becomes too small. You start having troubles breathing, everything is too hot.

Outside, the halls, they will be cooler.

You thankfully have your shoes on as you grab your sword out of habit and rush out the door, leaning against it and taking a cool breath in. Your heartrate finally slows and you’re able to breathe. You look down both sides of you, no one was there.

Deciding for the time being, you’re safe, you strap the sword to your hip. You started wondering the halls of the meteor, your left hand resting on the sword in case you needed to use it.

“Dave?” called a voice. If you weren’t still working off the nightmare you would hear that it sounds about as tired as you feel.

Without thinking, you reacted and swung.

The sound of clanking metal made you jump back, starting to shake.

Oh no.

He had finally found you.

You weren’t ready for this. You were too tired. You didn’t want to face him, not yet. Why can’t he leave you alone?

No.

You’re ready for this.

You took the initiative, taking a step toward the attacker, and swung in his direction once more. There was a sound of someone jumping back, another clang of metal. It took every ounce of determination for you not to wince at the sound.

Another swing. Another clank.

This didn’t carry on long fortunately. Eventually, you connected one of your swings.

“Shit Dave!” the voice came through. No longer muffled with the sounds of battle. There was the clank of metal against the floor as the figure before you started shaking. “Oh shit. Fuck!” There was the sound of something dripping.

Your eyes finally start to focus on what is in front of you. You’re looking at the floor in front of you.

Bright red.

Bright red was dripping on the ground in front of you, no between you and the figure as it stepped back quickly, tripping over their own feet and fell to the ground.

“D-Don’t look. Oh shit. Oh shit. I am so fucking dead. Please don’t Dave I can’t! I can’t die after all of this!”

Karkat.

The troll was on the ground, his eyes wide and fearful as he looked at you for a split second and then at the sword in your hand, still poised to attack. He had the hand that wasn’t pressed against his chest reaching out toward you. He was shaking slightly.

Karkat.

Karkat was in front of you.

Karkat was not Bro.

Karkat was using his sickles to protect himself from your panicked reaction. 

Karkat.

_Karkat_

**_KARKAT._ **

You blinked and dropped the sword, stumbling backwards as your trance is finally broken. “Holy shit Karkat!” You said your voice cracking. “Holy shit I am so sorry, I-“ you stopped. Nothing you could say could repair what you had just done. “Ca-Will you let me at least patch you up? Holy shit I am so sorry!” You ran your hands through your hair. When did you start sweating?

“Dave, it’s okay I-“

“No!” You yell, he winces. “It’s not okay! I shouldn’t walk around carrying that shitty sword around. I don’t fucking need it here. I am…I should…fuck I don’t know. Look I am totally in the wrong here. Let me at least repair what I’ve done.” You gestured toward Karkat’s bleeding chest.

“You’re not…” He is now looking at you with a mixture of fear and disbelief. The disbelief quickly disappears and the fear becomes muted as realization crosses his features. “Right humans all bleed this shitty red color. If it will make you feel better fine.” Karkat looked away, his hand pressed against the fresh cut that you had given him. You nodded slowly and took a step to help Karkat to his feet. The troll moved away and got up on his own and walked toward your room.

This was your fault. All your fault. You shouldn’t have had the sword. You should’ve never had it.

But Bro.

Bro was dead.

You had to keep reminding yourself of that.

“You called out for your Bro-lusus,” Karkat said after a few minutes. “In the middle of the fight. You sounded…scared.”

You turn toward Karkat. You offer no verbal answer to his unsaid question.

_Why were you calling out for him?_

He seems to understand though. He nods slightly after a few seconds and he looks at his feet as you two continue walking. You let him set the pace since you are the one who attacked him. You make a mental note to go back and clean up the blood. It freaked him out, and you were good at cleaning those stains.

The first thing you do in your room was to get Karkat a chair to sit in. You then leave to go grab the giant first aid kit you kept in the bathroom as well as a rag to bunch up for Karkat to bite on. Stitches this way without anesthesia sucked, and you had no idea what Karkat’s pain tolerance was.

You gestured for Karkat to sit down as you moved to get the organized, and very large, first aid kit. “You’re going to have to take off your shirt,” You said emotionlessly, not able to look at him in the eyes.

It’s all your fault.

Karkat nodded and did as you said as he looked around. The room was somewhat neat, in comparison to your old room anyways. The bed was undisturbed, and from what Karkat remembered from watching you and the others play, you never made the bed. You weren’t sleeping.  It was clear, and Karkat probably knew that from his brief glance.

“Dave-“

“This is going to sting a little,” You cut him off knowing what he was going to ask as you dabbed the wound with some alcohol pads. The bleeding wasn’t too bad. Not that deep. A silent exhale of relief is released from your body. You moved to get some liquid band-aids and moved to the wound again and slowly started to apply it.

The room is deathly silent. Not even the breaths of the troll mere inches from you were heard. You needed to fill the air with some sort of noise. You can feel your heart rate starting to work itself upwards again.

You open your mouth.

“Back in Houston Bro would take me to the roof, and we’d strife. With real swords. Since I was able to imitate his shitty ironic kung-fu movies. There were real injuries. I have too many to count. It…it fucked me up, and I hate the sound of clanking metal. I…I” You shook your head. Karkat’s eyes widened in shock as he moved to pap your face.

His hands were warm and soft as you simply sat there and closed your eyes. Karkat made a gentle shooshing noise as he continued to gently pap your face. You started shaking as you fought the urge to curl up into yourself.

“I..I understand. You keep expecting it to happen. I…I keep expecting Vriska to come kill me in my sleep honestly,” Karkat confessed. You lifted your head. He was saying the right thing to calm you down. Now, you can focus on his problems, and maybe, just maybe you can talk about yours more.

“But…Why the fuck?” Good. Prompt him to keep talking. For once his voice is gentle, and gentle is what you need.

“Back on Alternia we had this hemospectrum. It starts at burgundy and ends in fuchsia. That shitty color wheel you humans are fond of. There’s a problem though. I am a mutant and according to the rules of the ‘cull first ask questions later’ part of my society and some supposed folk legend of some Jesus-like troll from who the fuck knows when, I should die because I have blood that’s off spectrum. So, I have basically lived my entire life in fear for this.” He held his hand out to show you the blood on it.

You probably have blood on your cheek now that it crosses your mind, but it doesn’t matter. You’re used to it.

“Shit, and I thought I got the short end of the stick. I guess we’re both a little fucked up.”

“Who the fuck on this meteor isn’t? Look, tonight I can come over here and we can help each other sleep.”

“Dude like a sleepover?”

“If that’s what you humans call it sure. I just need some sleep, and so do you. It’s both becoming clear to everyone. Well, for me it is. Kanaya wanted me to come to her block but…” He shook his head. You understood since Kanaya and Rose started being a thing, being around them was awkward.

“Yeah, I understand. I really need some sleep I agree. I am about to start naming my eye bags.” You bandaged his chest and the two of you stand there for a moment.

He leaves and you gather some things to clean the blood off in the hall ways, always thinking ahead and already had that alchemized in your bathroom.

When you get back Karkat is there, sitting on the edge of your bed, hugging his knees. You kick off your shoes and take the cape off. “I cleaned up the hall way…no one will see it. I got pretty good at blood clean ups.”

“It doesn’t matter; everyone knows my blood color now anyways. Still…thanks.” He doesn’t look at you. You put your sword up across the room where it wouldn’t be a danger to him and sit next to him, giving him a lot of space.

“Ready to see if we can sleep?” you ask half sarcastically. Karkat looks at you.

“Not particularly. There’s no fucking slime, how the fuck do you keep horrorterrors away?”

“The what?”

“….nevermind.”

“Nah man, you mentioned it.”

“I am unmentioning it right the fuck…now. It has officially become unmentioned.”

“Whatever, just lay down, get under the covers, and eventually you’ll fall asleep. I’ll also kick any horrorterror’s ass if it even thinks on coming in here.”

Karkat hesitated before moving, and you follow.

You finally get some sleep.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I have been working on this off and on between The Blood That Binds Us, and so I decided to post it because why not?  
> Also I'm sorry for the sloppy editing it's like 2 am and I know I am probably not going to look at this anytime soon again so. Here it is. 
> 
> Also thanks to TheSurvivedRose for helping edit this train wreck 
> 
> If you want to follow me on Tumblr it's Caliginous-Confused.tumblr.com


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